Tc-99m tetrofosmin scintigraphy as an adjunct to plain-film mammography in palpable breast lesions

Aim: To investigate the use of Tc-99m tetrofosmin as a breast imaging agent and to compare results of Tc-99m tetrofosmin scintimammography with plain-film mammography and pathological outcome. Patients and Methods: Forty-four patients (mean age, 51 years; range 26–79 years) with a palpable breast mass requiring fine needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB) were prospectively studied. All patients had Tc-99m tetrofosmin scintimammography. Patients over 35 years of age had two view mammography performed on the same day. FNAB was performed within 2 weeks of imaging, and patients referred for surgery as appropriate. Results of scintigraphy and plain-film mammography were correlated with pathological outcome. Results: Of the 44 patients, 21 had biopsy proven malignancy while 23 had benign lesions. Of the 21 patients with carcinoma, 20 (95,2%) had positive Tc-99m tetrofosmin scintimammography while 21 (91.3%) of the 23 patients with benign histology had negative scintigraphy. The sensitivity of scintimammography was 95.24%, the specificity was 91.3%, with a positive predictive value of 90.9% and a negative predictive value of 95.45%. Thirty-eight patients had two view mammography performed (six patients were